I first made this soup last October, but came across a few technical issues which I have corrected when I made this soup again over the weekend. In fact, I loved it so much that I made a second batch the next day. The soup is very flavorful, and uses baby spinach to amplify the broccoli flavor (and color). The recipe uses sharp cheeses (sharp cheddar and parmesan) to attain great cheesy flavor, but without so much cheese as to make the soup feel heavy or fat laden. I splurged a little and bought a sharp English cheddar, but since it only added a few dollars because the recipe just needs 3-ounces. Overall the recipe is delicious; 4-1/2 stars.

Delicious soup has been great for the cold weather

I was hoping to stretch the soup throughout the week (for lunches), and was a little surprised that the recipe only yields 4 bowls of soup. So I made a second batch yesterday, still having enough baby spinach and sharp English cheddar to make the second batch. I only need to buy another 2-1/2 pounds of broccoli.

The recipe calls for peeling the stalks; which was laborious when I first made this recipe in October. This time I only spend a few minutes peeling the stalks before breaking into 1-inch pieces. It saved nearly 30 minutes.

The original recipe calls for something between 3 to 4 cups of water (in addition to the 2 cups of chicken broth); adjusting the amount of water in the final step according to your desired consistency. I would suggest adding at least 1 cup; and if you are planning to reheat, to add 1-1/2 cups of water.

Because the soup was so thick, there was a lot of soup left in the blender after Step 5. To recover some of the lost soup, I blender the final cup of water (added as part of Step 6); which rinsed out most of the leftover soup, before adding the water to the pot.

I bought an extra 1/2 pound of broccoli, because some of the stalks were very long and I wanted to trim away the very thick and hard portion. Besides, it was only sale for only 99-cents/pound.

Prepare broccoli by roughly chopped florets into 1-inch pieces, trim the stems, then peeled and cut into 1/4″-thick slices. Prepare onions by roughly chopped which should yield about 1 cup.

Add butter to large Dutch oven set over medium-high burner. After the foaming subsides, add the prepared broccoli, onion. Press the garlic cloves directly into the pot. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon table salt.

Cook for 6 minutes, stir frequently. After the pot becomes fragrant, add 1 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Bring water up to a simmer, cover, and reduce burner to maintain a simmer, and continue cooking for 20 more minutes until broccoli becomes very soft, stir once half way through cooking.

Add 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups water. Turn up burner to medium-high. Once pot is at a simmer, stir in baby spinach and wilt for 1 minute. Remove pot from burner.

Put half of soup in blender, add shredded cheddar and grated Parmesan, and process for 1 minute until smooth.Empty into a medium-sized bowl and repeat this step with the remaining soup.

Empty bowl of soup back into the Dutch oven, set over medium burner until begins to simmer. Add up to 1 cup of water until you attain the desired consistency (if you have a lot of leftover soup in blender; rinse blender first with the 1 cup of water, before adding it back to the pot). Adjust seasoning with salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper according to taste. Serve, with extra Parmesan passed separately.

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It’s been a few years since Chicken Breasts were my “go to” meal; recently I have been opting more for thighs. Today’s recipe slow-bakes chicken breasts in a low, 325-degree oven; then gives them a quick sear on the stove-top. Generally the breasts were moist, but a few of the slightly smaller pieces overcooked. For me, the biggest problem with this recipe is trying to brown a round breast in a flat skillet. Only 60% of the skin browned; leaving the sides of the chicken covered in flabby skin. The sauce was nice and bright. The chicken is a slightly below average 2-1/2 stars, while the sauce is 4-stars.

Side skin is flabby and unappealing

Comments:

The cooking instructions for the second-side of the chicken were very confusing; I did not understand what they wanted so I just cooked the second side of the chicken.

Set a rack to the lower-middle of your oven and pre-heat to 325-degrees. And prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil.

Working with one breast at a time; trim away any excess fatty skin from the thick end of the breast. Carefully work your fingers under the skin to separate the skin from the meat. Leave the skin attached and the top, bottom, and at the ribs. Sprinkle each breast with just under 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, then lay the skin back in place. Poke 6 to 8 holes in the fat deposits of the skin using a paring knife. Set on the prepared baking sheet with the skin-side upwards. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

Bake in 325-degree oven from 35-to-45 minutes until the chicken reaches 160-degrees. While the chicken bakes; prepare the sauce,

Remove from oven when the chicken is ready, and pre-heat a 12″ regular skillet over a low burner for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and swirl so that the pan is evenly coated. Put chicken into skillet with the skin-side down, and turn up burner to medium-high. Cook for 3-to-5 minutes without moving the chicken; the skin will become crispy and well-browned.

Flip the chicken and prop the thick-side of the breast is facing downward, continuing to cook for 1-to-2 minutes more until browned.

Remove to serving platter and allow to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

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I love the simplicity and creaminess of mashed potatoes, but hate the chore of peeling. I especially hate peeling hot potatoes (which I did for 15 years). This recipe leaves the skins on. Since I don’t need to process the potatoes with a ricer, the skins don’t get in the way. The cream cheese provides wonderfully texture; yet not as creamy as mashed potatoes. The bacon provides lots of flavor. Instead of thinning with milk, it is thinned using the potato cooking water. Overall, 4-stars. Less healthy than regular mashed potatoes; but more flavorful.

No peeling necessary

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $4.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess? Medium.
Start time 4:00 PM. Ready at 5:00 PM.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe for is here. My descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

Cut cream cheese into 8 pieces and add to medium bowl allowing to come up to room temperature while the potatoes cook.

Put potatoes in a large saucepan and fill with cold water until the potatoes are covered with 1″ water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bay leaf. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 35-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut bacon lengthwise in half, and then crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Fry bacon for 5 to 7 minutes in 10-inch skillet over medium burner until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to plate lined with paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat and use the residual heat of the skillet to melt the butter. Empty into the medium bowl with cream cheese.

Before draining the potatoes, remove 1/2-cup cooking water and set aside. The potatoes will be done when a paring knife inserted into potatoes meets no resistance. Drain the potatoes and discard the bay leaf. Return the potatoes to pot, and allow to sit in pot for 5 minutes, uncovered, which will allow the surfaces are dry.

While potatoes are drying, Whisk together the cream cheese, melted butter and bacon fat until smooth and fully incorporated. Add in 1/4-cup of reserved water (not the full 1/2 cup that you set aside), chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine.

Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes just enough to break skins. Fold in the cream cheese mixture until most of the liquid has been absorbed and chunks of potato remain. Add more cooking water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes are slightly looser than ultimately desired (potatoes will thicken a little as they sit).

Adjust salt and pepper according to taste. Stir in chopped bacon from Step 3. Serve immediately.

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This year, I was looking to make my first corned beef brisket to share with my two sons on St. Patrick’s day. The recipe was just published in the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated (March/April 2016), including a 6-day brine. Unfortunately, I did not buy the special pink curing salt (sodium nitrite) in time; it needs to be purchased online. So instead, I bought one of those ubiquitous pre-packaged briskets that appear in my supermarket around St. Patrick’s day. The beef is suspiciously inexpensive; I am not sure how more than two pounds of brisket can cost a total of only $7.

Traditional St. Patrick’s Date fare; at least in NYC

By starting with a pre-packaged, pre-brined brisket, I am not sure how accurate my 4-star rating can be. Of course, home-brined briskets will be far superior that my pre-packaged brisket. Never-the-less, I was happy with the overall technique used in the recipe and will try to order the curing salt well ahead of next year’s St. Patrick’s Day feast. 4-stars, but the jury is still out on the final rating of this recipe.

Comments:

If you do not use pink curing salt #1, your brisket will be grey instead of pink.

While not called for in Chris Kimball’s original recipe, I caramelized some of the fat cap before cooking. It added great flavor and improved the overall texture of the fat cap.

Remove the brisket from brine and rinse under cold tap water to remove any excess salt. Use paper towels to pat dry.

Brown fat-side of brisket in Dutch oven over high burner for 5 minutes until nicely caramelized.

Prepare a spice bundle by cutting an 8″ square of cheesecloth. Peel 3 garlic cloves. Put garlic, 2 bay leaves and 1 tablespoon peppercorns in the center of the cheesecloth, and use kitchen twice to tie into a bundle.

Add brisket, 2 quarts of water and spice bundle to a Dutch oven; it’s okay if the brisket does not lie completely flat. Cover pot and put over a high burner until it comes up to a simmer.

Move to oven and bake for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until you can easily insert a fork into the thickest part of the brisket.

Remove Dutch oven from oven and turn off oven. Set brisket in a large oven-safe platter, and pour 1 cup of the cooking liquid over meat. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the turned-off oven.

Peel your carrots and cut them in half cross-wise; then slice the thick-ends in half lengthwise into long, equally thick slices. Do not peel your potatoes.

Set the Dutch oven over high burner and add your carrots and potatoes. Bring up to a simmer over high burner. Reduce burner to medium-low, cover, and allow to simmer for 7 to 10 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Cut your cabbage through the core into 8 wedges. Add wedges to pot, and increase burner to high until the pot comes up to a simmer. Reduce burner to low and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, covered, until all the vegetables become tender.

Meanwhile, set the beef on a cutting board and slice against the grain into 1/4″-thick slices, returning the slices to the platter. Use a slotted spoon to add the vegetables to the platter. Add additional broth to platter and serve.

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In honor of St. Patrick’s day (or more correctly, in honor of abundant cabbage), I made this cabbage salad with red pepper. In general, I have never loved cabbage; it’s tough and bland. But this recipe conquers my two biggest complaints; first by softening the cabbage using salt; then by adding a flavorful vinaigrette. The result is a delicious salad with just the right texture; not too tough and not too soft (like boiled cabbage). Finally, something delicious to make with those 75-cent heads of cabbage. 4-star.

Soft-as-lettuce salad made with cabbage

Comments:

This recipe is nearly 20-years-old, and calls for rinsing the cabbage in a strainer then drying with paper towels. Of course, in today’s kitchen it is easily accomplished using a salad spinner. I incorporated a salad spinner into the recipe below; but you can also dry using paper towels.

Cut the head of cabbage in half (save the other half for another day), then finely shred using a chef’s knife. Add shredded cabbage to a salad spinner (or colander), along with 1 teaspoon table salt. Allow cabbage to wilt for between 1 to 4 hours at room temperature.

Rinse cabbage under cold running water (or in a large bowl of ice water if you plan to serve the salad immediately). Drain and spin the cabbage until dry. If the salad is for tomorrow, store the dried cabbage in zip-lock bags overnight in your refrigerator.

Cut open the bell pepper, remove the seeds and ribs. Slice into thin strips.

In a medium serving bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Toss cabbage and red pepper until evenly covered with dressing. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.

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I make Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon a few times a year, her 5-star recipe is here. However, I find myself making the same substitutions, time-after- time, so wanted to discuss the changes. First, I never make her recipe using the 3-pounds of beef called for in her recipe. I always buy a 5-to-5-1/2-pound roast. If I am going to expend such an effort; it is either for a larger group of friends or I want the leftovers to last me well into the week. Second, I never blanch my lardons; and usually just use thick-cut bacon. I simply cannot but “chunk bacon” but will sometimes use salt pork. And lastly, I have yielded to Chris Kimball’s approach of using frozen pearl onions. To me, they are not important enough to worry about peeling dozens of little boiler onions. But of any adjustments I make, this laziness has the biggest negative impact.

A little more liquid would have been perfect

While I increased the liquids to try to compensate for the 5-1/2 pounds of beef; I was still lacking liquid. Next time I will try increasing the beef broth to 3-1/2 (I had used 3-cups today). I already updated the recipe below; which not-coincidentally means that I will use the full standard 32-ounce container of beef broth (while I always make my own chicken stock, I rarely make my own beef broth). Overall, this larger batch is not quite as good as Julia Child’s original recipe. Almost as good; 4-1/2 stars.

Comments:

Julia Child says to use a casserole pan, but I always use my 7-quart dutch oven.

While not called for in the original recipe, I also wrap the lardons into cheese cloth before adding them back to the pot in Step 10. This saves me a huge effort in trying to pick out the lardons when discarding the spent carrots and onions.

Be sure to choose and begin your side dish of boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles or rice; start boiling the water as you begin to braise the boiler onions.

You can see a version of Julia Child’s original recipe here. The descriptions of how I cooked it today are given below. I separated the recipe into sections so that I wouldn’t have to scroll so much while preparing the recipe.

Cut the bacon meat into lardons (sticks 1/4″ thick and 1-1/2″ long), and sauté lardons in a large Dutch oven over medium-high burner for 5 minutes until lightly browned and has rendered much of its fat. Remove bacon to a side dish with a slotted spoon, and wrap in single layer of cheese cloth (tied closed with kitchen twine).

Preheat your oven to 450-degrees, and set a rack to the lower-middle of your oven.

Cut beef into 2″ cubes then pat dry using paper towels; they will not brown if damp. Heat leftover bacon fat in Dutch oven until almost smoking. Add four or five beef cubes at a time. Sauté until nicely browned on all six sides, then remove and let rest in a large bowl. It will take 4 to 5 batches, between 8 to 10 minutes per batch. While the beef browns; prepare your carrots and onions.

In the same fat, saute the sliced onions and carrots until slightly browned for about 5 minutes. Pour out any excess fat; of which I had none.

Return the beef to the Dutch oven and toss with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set Dutch oven uncovered in of preheated oven for 4 minutes.

Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this will brown the flour and give the meat a light crust).

Stir in red wine, and 3-1/2 cups beef stock; which should barely submerge the meat.

Add the 2 tablespoon tomato paste, 3 mashed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 crumbled bay leaf, and the wrapped bacon lardons (as well as the bacon rind if you have it). Bring up to a simmer on the stove-top.

Cover pot and return to oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

About 1 hour before the meat is done, begin to heat your water for the accompaniment: potatoes, egg noodles or rice.

About 30-minutes before the meat is done, begin preparing the onions and mushrooms. Assemble you herb bouquet, by adding 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon thyme in a small square of cheesecloth and tying with kitchen twine.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until bubbling in a skillet.

Add boiler onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 6 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. They will not brown uniformly.

Add 1/2-cup of beef stock, the herb bouquet, and a little salt and pepper (to taste).

Cover and simmer slowly for 20 minutes; swirling occasionally; until the onions are very tender but still hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Discard the herb bouquet and set cooked onions aside.

Wipe out skillet and heat 2 tablespoons of butter over high heat. Once the bubbling begins to subside add the quartered mushrooms. Toss and swirl pan for 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of brandy and flambe until flame subsides. Remove from burner and set aside.

Final assembly:

After 3 to 4 hours in the oven you beef should be very tender. Pour the contents of the pot into a sieve set over a large bowl. Empty into a fat separator (or use a wide, shallow spoon to skim fat off) and allow to settle for 5 minutes.

Wipe out the Dutch oven and return the beef; empty the lardon packet, then distribute the cooked boiler onions and mushrooms on top. Discard the spent carrots and whatever else is left in your sieve.

De-fat the sauce into a saucepan, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. You should have about 4 cups of sauce; about the consistency of heavy cream. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper according to taste.

Pour the thickened sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.

Serve, arranging stew on a platter surrounded with boiled or mashed potatoes, buttered noodles or rice. You can also decorate with chopped parsley.

You can see the fat on the top

Hands down the best way to de-fat your stew

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Two of my favorite ingredients are shrimp and avocado, so I was sure that I would love this recipe (but I only liked it). ATK published the recipe as part of their collection of “light” recipes; in fact there is not a drop of olive oil added. Instead, they add a bit of the avocado to the blender which gives the final dressing the impression that I added mayonnaise; a classic Shrimp Salad ingredient. Brilliant trick, and they succeed in obtaining a great, healthy dressing without sacrificing flavor. However, the recipe does not realize its full potential. The bitter grapefruit over powers the other flavors. 2 grapefruits are too much, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt was insufficient. But don’t let these criticisms stop you from making this recipe, 3-1/2 stars. Definitely worth the effort of segmenting the grapefruit.

Delicious salad without any added oil

The 10-year-old recipe was poorly written on the website, with a few errors and omissions (I known its like the pot calling the kettle black; but I only do this for fun). Originally the recipe was part of ATK book; “The Best Light Recipe.” I have noticed that their books are not as refined as are the recipes from their magazine.

Issues / Comments:

The recipe as shown on the Cook’s Illustrated website was missing the peppercorns; I discovered by searching the web that it was to include 1/2 teaspoon.

The Cook’s Illustrated website says to but the snow peas crosswise. But later I noticed that their photo shows them sliced lengthwise.

The recipe doesn’t mention anything about collecting the grapefruit juice, but I read far enough ahead in the recipe to segment the grapefruits over a shallow bowl.

Instead of using Bibb lettuce as called for in the recipe, I substituted romaine that I already had in my refrigerator.

Rating: 3-1/2 stars.
Cost: $8.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess? Medium.
Start time 5:00 PM. Dinner time 5:45 PM.

Chris Kimball’s original recipe is here. The descriptions of how I prepared it today are given below:

If necessary, peel and de-vein the shrimp. Add 3 cups of water to a medium saucepan. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice of lemon into the pot, also add the squeezed lemon halves. Add 1 bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns. Bring up to a boil over high burner, and let boil for 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the burner and add shrimp. Cover; allow to sit off the heat for 8 minutes. Meanwhile prepare a medium bowl filled with ice water.

Empty the shrimp into a colander, immediately moving the shrimp into the ice water, and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Discard lemon halves, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Drain the shrimp and put in a large, dry bowl.

Prepare the remaining ingredients, adding to the bowl with the shrimp as you go. Chop 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves. Cut the snow peas lengthwise into 1/8″-wide strips and remove the strings. Dice the avocado into 1/2″-cubes. Wash and dry the bibb lettuce.

To serve, arrange the lettuce onto 4 serving plates. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the shrimp; top with dressing from blender and carefully toss until evenly coated. Even divide among the 4 plates and drizzle any of the dressing left in the bowl on top of the salad.